Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has once again namechecked Burnley as he continues his bid to force the Premier League to reintroduce five substitutes.
The English top-flight, along with the EFL, handed managers the opportunity to make two extra changes after football returned following Project Restart at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Clubs at the top of the Premier League had hoped for that change to remain permanent, as it has elsewhere in Europe, but it was voted down when teams, including Burnley vetoed the proposal.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel and his compatriot Klopp have been vocal in their criticism of not allowing five changes, believing it does little for the welfare of the players involved. Recent reports have stated that the Premier League are once again considering the law change, with Klopp back on his pedestal pleading for the change.
And not for the first time, the Liverpool boss has specifically brought Burnley into the debate, suggesting “top class” stars need even more protection. "I didn't open it now but I can't stop thinking about it," said Klopp in his pre-match press-conference.
"Five subs is essential. I think Scotland plans six friendly games in the summer. Not all of them are for the purpose that if you go to the World Cup then you are better prepared, it is for money reasons and I understand that.
"England has four games in a summer where it is the first time in ages where there is no tournament so what do we do? Oh good we put in some games. We speak about how can we rest players and getting through a season but we are not allowed to accept that top class players are constantly playing, we just accept they will get injured more than other people. It makes really no sense.”
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The vendetta against Sean Dyche’s side isn’t a new one for Klopp however, who previously questioned the number of international players they had within their squad, claiming the fixture pile-up affects the teams at the top significantly more.
He explained: "You have to recover and rest every second you can do so. It is really tough for the boys, not just us but others as well. My first year the team had 63 games in 2015-16. No international games involved in that, just club.
"This year it will not be much less but it is tough. We have to think about how we can keep these world class players (fresh). Sorry to say but during the international break I don't know how many Burnley players on international duty, I don't know.
“That is the difference but we let other people make the decisions for the top class players. We have to do that (five subs). It is not for an advantage, it is a necessity."
Dyche responded to those claims in December of last year, suggesting he felt that the additional changes would only benefit the league’s ‘super powers’, due to their ability to build a stronger and deeper squad. "If you have a super power team with a bench that some of us are stunned by, then if you can put five of them on at any given point, you would suggest it makes that club stronger.
"We had a series after the pandemic initially where we had a bench full of kids, we didn’t have any choice and we had to keep going and going. I keep hearing this term player welfare. I’ve got to be honest, I think the welfare of my players here is absolutely fantastic – the way they are looked after."
